Australians can enjoy a new taste of frozen yogurt with the opening of the first international Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt location in Melbourne, Australia. Joe Rossi and Phil Lancaster, both based in Melbourne, opened the first international Orange Leaf location today, providing locals with a taste of the booming frozen yogurt sector and acting as a model for attracting new franchisees Down Under.
“Orange Leaf is doing the frozen yogurt concept bigger and better than any of its competitors, yet the brand still keeps a local community connection,” Rossi says. “This connection is what we feel Australians will embrace, not to mention the quality product and unique consumer experience.”
According to a recent article in The Age, a Melbourne-based newspaper, Australia’s franchise sector collectively turned over more than $130 billion (USD) last year. Also, citizens are more health-conscious than ever, embracing frozen yogurt as an alternative to ice cream. Orange Leaf plans to open more stores and is seeking additional franchisees to help with expansion in the Australian market.
While most everything in the Melbourne location will mirror the experience for Orange Leaf customers in the U.S., Lancaster and Rossi are catering to local tastes by offering authentic Australian toppings such as Tim Tam Biscuits and Cherry Ripe Chocolate Bars.
“Orange Leaf has been eager to bring our offering to the international market for some time and Australia is proving to be a great first step,” says Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt CEO Reese Travis. “While this may be the first franchising experience for Rossi and Lancaster, we’ve worked together in the past on a few other projects so I have extremely high expectations for this relationship and for growth throughout Australia.”
Travis’ group acquired Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt in 2010, when there were just 15 stores. Now with 116 stores open and 75 more coming soon, Orange Leaf is among the fastest growing companies in the self-serve frozen yogurt space, currently opening more stores than any other group in the industry.
